February 7, 2014EP review: ‘Real Hair’ by Speedy Ortiz

Noise rock outfit Speedy Ortiz released their debut album, ‘Major Arcana’, last year, and are now back with a new EP. It’s an addictive mix of gnarly grunge and guitar pop and carries the energy and spirit from their highly acclaimed debut.

Frontwoman Sadie Dupuis’s moody, impassioned vocals soar above the noisy guitar and delivers one great lyric after another. The songs have dark undertones, stemming from Dupuis’s conflicts and general angst- “I shine much better in my house alone” she owns in ‘Shine Theory’- but it’s more punk than melancholy. It’s the kind of music you could cry to or dance to, which highlights Dupuis’s songwriting finesse in balance and atmosphere.

The four tracks are all extremely strong. ‘Real Hair’ is a piece of art in its own and one of the best EPs I’ve heard recently. I highly recommend you check it out- it will be released on February 11th but is streaming on Pitchfork in the meantime.